DANBURY -- Buddy has new owners, a fitting conclusion for the twice-rescued 9-year-old German shepherd mix who proved his loyalty under the most dramatic conditions.

Maureen and Brendan Walsh, of Danbury, have adopted Buddy, who is showing kindness to their aged cat, Dre, and displaying manners, playfulness and gratitude in his new home.

"My heart went out to him," Maureen Walsh said Tuesday. "I think it was the loyalty he showed. He showed restraint and he pulled the heartstrings."

Walsh brought Buddy home Nov. 26 from Noah's Ark Animal Hospital in Danbury, where he spent three weeks after being found in his house on Hayestown Avenue with his owner, John Gudele, who had died.

Police thought Gudele died soon after Oct. 1. While Buddy had only a small bag of food to eat and a dripping faucet for water for five weeks, he never hurt his owner.

Experts said dogs without food for so long would likely begin to eat a human body.

John Conlea, Gudele's best friend from childhood, had been visiting Gudele daily and last saw him Oct. 1 before he and his wife, Lenette, left for a trip to Florida.

When Conlea returned from vacation and went to visit Gudele on Nov. 6, he heard the dog, but had no response from Gudele. He called the police.

Jina Wellington, who knew Gudele for nearly 20 years, and Buddy since Gudele adopted him four years ago, arranged for the dog to go to Noah's Ark.

There Dr. Jeffrey Hubsher, veterinarian and owner, treated Buddy for chronic ear infections and organized the hunt for a new home.

Conlea and his wife, Gudele's cousin, are thrilled Buddy had a new home.

"It's wonderful,'' Conlea said, when he heard about Buddy's new place.

Walsh said she called the animal hospital Nov. 17, the day the first story about Buddy appeared in The News-Times. She said she was walking with a friend and the friend's dog early that morning, and they used her friend's cellphone to learn if Buddy was still at the animal hospital.

Walsh started visiting him and walking him after work.

The Walshes had a German shepherd-Rottweiler mix named Lucky that died in February at 12 years old. He was a rescue, too, and they were not afraid to take an older dog like Buddy.

"He's actually settled in so easily," Walsh said. "It's nice to hear the jingle of the collar as before. It's been a nice transition."

Walsh said Buddy is fine on walks with other dogs and is very social.

Brendan Walsh said when he and his wife leave for work together in the morning, Buddy doesn't want them to go, but they know he will settle down.

"He wasn't used to the cat. We could see that," Brendan Walsh said. "Over a period of the first three or four days, he followed her around. He's very gentle. You can tell by the way his tail goes he just wants to play."

Walsh praised the staff of the animal hospital for being so good to Buddy and for taking time to interview people so they could place him in the right home.

Hubsher said when he got the call about Buddy and heard the circumstances, he knew he should do something.

"We have a very wonderful community, and with what we could provide him in medical care and what the community could provide in love, there was no question in my mind that things would work out fine," the veterinarian said.

"This was an opportunity to do good. You have to watch for these opportunities and take advantage of them," he said. "It's one of the reasons I love the job. I feel good. We did good. I'm blessed to be able to do this. I believe that whatever good you do comes back to you.'

Walsh hopes those who inquired about adopting Buddy will pursue other dogs.

"There are always dogs for rescue," she said. "They may not have gotten Buddy, but there are other dogs who need homes, too."